allocate

verb

al·​lo·​cate ˈa-lə-ˌkāt 

allocated; allocating

transitive verb

1

: to apportion for a specific purpose or to particular persons or things : distribute

allocate tasks among human and automated components

2

: to set apart or earmark : designate

allocate a section of the building for special research purposes

allocatable

ˈa-lə-ˌkā-tə-bəl 

adjective

allocation

ˌa-lə-ˈkā-shən 

noun

allocator

ˈa-lə-ˌkā-tər 

noun

Synonyms of allocate

• allot
• assign
• distribute

Examples of allocate in a Sentence

Money from the sale of the house was allocated to each of the children.

We need to determine the best way to allocate our resources.

Have enough funds been allocated to finance the project?

Recent Examples on the Web

Separately, the administration swiped $35 million allocated to needy children and drug prevention to pay for efforts to kill that amendment and another legalizing marijuana. —Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2026

This is a gathering problem, especially when coupled with stresses on brittle supply chains, raising questions about whether new space funding can be allocated in a timely manner. —Michael P. Dempsey, Forbes.com, 5 June 2026

To create a dedicated space for art—which had previously been tucked in with the dinosaur bones at the Natural History Museum—the county allocated a ten-acre site, next to the La Brea Tar Pits, along Wilshire Boulevard, at a midway point between downtown and the beach. —Dana Goodyear, New Yorker, 4 June 2026

Those buyers are a key part of SpaceX’s strategy in the IPO, with as much as 30% of the $75 billion offering allocated to the group, Bloomberg News has reported. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 4 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin allocātus, past participle of allocāre "to place, stow, hire out, place on hire, allow, admit, credit," from Latin ad- ad- + locāre "to place, situate" — more at locate

First Known Use

1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing allocate

• sub-allocate

Rhymes for allocate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• amputate
• angulate
• annotate

Kids Definition

allocate

verb

al·​lo·​cate ˈal-ə-ˌkāt 

allocated; allocating

1

: to divide and distribute for a special reason or to particular persons or things

allocate funds among charities

2

: to set apart for a particular purpose

allocate materials for a project

allocation

ˌal-ə-ˈkā-shən 

noun